Nash Laurens
A lifelong criminal and killer, Laurens is a perfect fit for the Badlands Territory. Clever, a fast-talker, and a remorseless killer, he has ended the life of more than a dozen lawmen. Currently operating around Vermillion, he seems to be working on some larger scheme. Biography Pre-War Nash was born to Susan Laurens, a single mother barely scraping by as a waitress. Growing up in rural Mississippi, Nash would often take to explore the woods around his hometown of Columbus. In school, he showed an aptitude for learning but would have many disciplinary issues. He began his record of juvenile detention at eleven and would return twice more before he finally dropped out of school at fourteen. Nash would start selling drugs and was caught again at seventeen. Tried as an adult, he was convicted and sentenced to three years. He served his time in Mississippi State Correctional, spending his time learning new tricks and tips. When he was released in 2071, Nash almost immediately armed himself and left the state. From there, Nash traveled the Gulf Commonwealth robbing, stealing, and selling drugs until he was almost caught in a police chase. Narrowly losing them in a forest, he headed northwest into Louisiana where he found plenty of work and hiding spots in New Orleans. Nash would stay there for four years, finally leaving after one too many indiscretions. He went west yet again, ending up in the Texas Panhandle and robbed several gas stations but mainly stuck to the small motel room he rented for most of 2076. With the heat dying down a little, Nash hitchhiked north into Oklahoma, where he happened upon a small chem lab in a farm's outbuilding. Investigating he surprised the chemist and shot him, taking what he could grab before running away. Unsure whether or not he had killed the man, Nash spent all night hiding in the woods. Tired, Nash walked into town the next morning and managed to get a small room. He had heard of some of the things he had grabbed but would wait to check them further until his door was safely locked. Nash would try Mentats for the first time that day, which would begin a lifelong addiction. He left the next night, entering Kansas by rail on March 2, 2077. He would begin breaking into farm houses in the more isolated parts of the state, allowing him to take his time robbing the inhabitants. The War The bombs would catch him sleeping off a black-out in Witchita, the tremors causing him to fall out of his bed. Thinking it was just a really bad case of withdrawals, he crawled back in until his window blew in from the blastwave. Now convinced something was happening, he looked through the window frame and saw a mushroom cloud rising from downtown. He got dressed and staggered out of his room, and was quickly caught up in the rioting. He would clean out the painkillers from a nearby pharmacy, and lay in his room for the next two days mixing them with Mentats and liquor. He would start to feel very ill, barely being able to move within two days of the first symptoms and start to watch his hair and skill fall off. He thought he would die and made his peace with the world, only to find that he would start to feel better. He could stand five days after falling ill, and despite missing patches of hair and flesh, he thought he was still doing pretty well. Nash would remain in the city for another two weeks recovering before grabbing some supplies and heading north. He would be forced to kill in December, when he was stopped by a gang of teens demanding food. Now in full ghoulification, Nash told them to leave, which was enough provocation for the starving teens. They started to advance, brandishing clubs, making Nash draw his gun. Having only shot the chem maker before, Nash would still only hesitate for a second before firing all twelve 10mm rounds at the group. His volley would hit two, killing one instantly, and cause the others to flee. As he reloaded, Nash noticed one of the teens was still alive. A girl not much older than fifteen, looking at her contorted pale face did something to Nash. He grabbed her hair and dragged her further up the road until he reached what he thought was a safe spot. He then dropped the nearly dead girl and proceeded to rape her, reveling in her cries of pain. Nash left her laying there when he finished and continued north. Post-War 2078-2199 He would enter Nebraska in 2078, where he would stay for the next three decades, finding the lawlessness of the wasteland suited him and his new form. He would again go north in 2110, winding up in what would become the Badlands Territory. He found this region much more hospitable to him, being little order and plenty of victims. In 2134 he would join the Willits Gang and ride with them for two years, before the rest of them were killed by a posse. He would hang around the western portion of the region before turning south again in 2145. He crossed into Nebraska again and continued looting farms and travelers. He would head west in 2147 after an altercation with a prominent rancher's daughter, ending up in Colorado. He trekked to the ruins of Golden, where he found a mostly intact apartment to camp in. Nearby, Nash would find a small community of ghouls who welcomed him as one of their own. He would find himself a wanted part of their community for the first time in his life, something he tried to payback. Helping them scavenge and guard their camp, Nash was invited a spot inside their crude walls. Nash would find a sort of peace with those other ghouls, finally accepted and not feeling the need to harm anyone or do anything that he might have. That was ended in 2160 when raiders overran the walls. Nash ran and tried to find any others but was alone in the ruins with the raiders. He would stay in the area for a few weeks picking off some of the raiders, but couldn't take the grief. He would leave the state and head east. He passed on through Kansas quickly and entered Missouri on September 18, 2160. He would stay in the remains of Kansas City for several months, taking his anger out on the local raiders. He would join a caravan going south in February, traveling with it into Arkansas. He vanished into the swamps and woods of the state for several decades, appearing again in 2199 to rob a small general store in the town of Pii. 2200-2287 Now possessing some spending money, he proceeded south, staying in style as he headed to Louisiana. He pulled his usual tricks until 2205, when he returned to Columbus. He would stay only for a few days, unable to see it as a home. He decided to go back north, and worked his way to New Memphis. He stayed there for a decade, putting together a small crew to hit caravans between the settlements. Nash would flee the ruins after his gang was cornered by the militia, only escaping by throwing his followers into the lawmen's guns. Managing to escape with the take from the last raid, Nash could afford to travel well, catching a ride with the Railroad Nomads northwest back into Missouri. He would remain in the state until 2220, mainly running chems for various gangs. Nash would be forced north yet again after a coup fell apart, and half of a raider clan came after him. He returned to the Badlands in 2222 and marked his return by killing a family of settlers. Scattering their remains about, he found a crude map illustrating new settlements since his last visit. Nash would stay in the shack for the next three years, using it to plan his jobs around the region. He would relocate in 2225 to Vermillion for a better Mentats supply, but didn't change his activities. By 2230 he would again lead a small gang, this time focusing on robbing other chem dealers. They would try to target out of towners first, but would inevitably end up hitting locals as well. By 2235 Nash and his gang were known throughout the eastern Badlands, and had swelled to twenty men. That was the same year that he heard about a Med-Tek facility somewhere in the Badlands and was determined to find it. Filling his gang with tales of chems beyond their wildest dreams, he leads them all across the region for two years. Despite losing half of his men and most of their money, Nash never found the facility, though they did find a few good targets, which they would prey on until kicked out of the western portion of the region in 2240. He would return to Vermillion and briefly attempt to run a clothing shop, but the business would fail in 2243. He tried another legitimate venture before returning to crime, guarding the door of a warehouse for a caravan. His nature would get the best of him, however, and he would later be seen running off with a crate under his arm. Nash went to the ruined skeleton of the Willits farmhouse and found he had stolen a box of wool. Shrugging it off, he would regain his place in the underworld, often clashing with other raiders for the boost to his reputation. He would make one of few living enemies in 2254, when Nash shot a young Wade Kenders. He continued running amok throughout the region, stealing and robbing at whim after this, though he did help Wobble in 2258. This was due to him being inside the settlement when a group of Vault 52 dwellers attacked it. Working together with a Rust Bone, a pair of regulators and the settlements guards, Laurens helped fight off the addicts and escaped before more could arrive. Nash would have another close shave with death in October of 2260, a robbery in Deadwood gone wrong. He was shot in the process of escaping, and would barely manage to shake his pursuers while heading into the hills. Nash would come upon a small village, and weakly knocked on the door. He would be nursed to health by Swift Cloud Johnston and help him open a bar in return. Since then he has returned to raiding, and would even (inadvertently) rescue a group from the Border Club, earning him access to The Border Club. Despite the awareness of Custer's American Army and some factions of the American Northern Army, Laurens continues to operate in the Badlands, confident in his skills. He is currently near Rapid City feeling out the potential for profit there. Personality Gleefully cruel and arbitrary, Laurens is a creature of lesser pleasures. Conversational and humorous when on a Mentats high, he is as equally prone to violence, paranoia, and hallucinations when withdrawing, he is as likely to shoot up a bar as to start a card game. He is brazen in his crimes, often kicking the door when the family is sitting down to dinner. He has shown a cunning streak several times, often when turning the tables on anyone chasing him. Nash has developed a superiority complex since the bombs fell, often viewing himself as a hunter looking for prey. Appearance Like most ghouls, Laurens is missing large patches of skin and hair, especially from the bottom of his jaw and his forehead. His Blue eyes seem to bulge due to the loss of his nose, which he tries to conceal with a bandanna. Equipment Before the war, Laurens would carry a switchblade, confident in its ability. After the bombs fell, however, he would quickly see the value of firearms, always carrying one with him. He has never kept a weapon for long, however, either trading them, stashing them, or tossing them when they become unusable. Category:Characters Category:Badlands Category:Ghouls Category:Raiders